It has been speculated that living people are sometimes temporarily inhabited by the spirits of dead people, usually to convey a message or for other reasons. These spirits are usually those of dead relatives, or close people, hence it is gradually being seen to be quite a normal occurrence in the Ghanaian society.
A herbalist who goes by the name Alhaji Dr. Akanayoo, has asserted that although spirits can be either good or bad, any spirit that has the power to inhabit the body of a human, regardless of whether it is a good spirit or a bad one, is one of witchcraft.
Speaking with Rev. Nyansa Boakwa on the religious and social programme ‘Nsem Pii’ which airs on Happy98.9FM, Dr. Akanayoo revealed that looking at the classification of spirituality, witchcraft is the least because witches have certain limitations to their power.
Speaking about these limitations, he said, “Spirits of witchcraft cannot operate if they inhabit the body of any other being aside that of a human. If they inhabit a stone or tree or in water, they cannot operate. They might not even last if they inhabit those bodies. If they don’t get a human body to inhabit, then they suspend”.
However, he noted that to suspend, these spirits need to dwell inside the body of an animal; be it a goat, sheep, cow, rat, etc and although they can only last in animals for a day, it is very important that they do so, or else the will not have that power that they need to suspend and survive in case they do not find a human body to dwell in.
Dr. Akanayo revealed that these spirits, whether good or bad, come from God. “Note that there is no living thing which operates on this earth that does not have a source and this source is none other than God”, he said.
By: Maureen Dedei Quaye